Dr. Samar R. El Khoudary is an internationally recognized leader in women’s cardiovascular health, known for her pioneering research on how the menopause transition and sex hormones influence cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Her work has transformed understanding of cardiovascular aging in women by identifying key biological changes during this critical stage of life.
She was the first to demonstrate that the carotid artery undergoes adverse remodeling during late perimenopause, marking a newly recognized window of increased vulnerability to CVD. Her team has linked estradiol and FSH trajectories to postmenopausal atherosclerosis, identified a greater burden of cardiovascular fat in postmenopausal women, and introduced the novel hypothesis that HDL (“good” cholesterol) may lose its protective function during the menopause transition.
Dr. El Khoudary currently serves as Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Previously, she was Vice Chair for Education in Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, where she led curriculum development and championed inclusive, student-centered learning.
She chaired the first-ever American Heart Association (AHA) scientific statement on Menopause and Cardiovascular Disease, setting national priorities for midlife women’s cardiovascular health.
Trained as an epidemiologist and holding a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, Dr. El Khoudary is a Fellow of the AHA (FAHA) and active member of The Menopause Society and the European Menopause and Andropause Society. She has been an invited speaker for scientific workshops at the NIH, the American Stroke Association, the National Lipid Association, and EMAS, among others, reflecting her global leadership.
Her many honors include a Fulbright Scholarship, Trudy Bush Fellowship, New Investigator Award, the 2023 Public Health Alumni Award for Research, and a 2024 nomination for the James L. Craig Teaching Award. Her 2025 publication in BMJ Open highlights her international role in shaping menopause research priorities.